Tools swept up by burned-out contractors

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Ryan Hernbroth of California Service Tools stands inside the Entler Avenue warehouse Friday where free tools and equipment were given away to contractors burned out by the Camp Fire. (Laura Urseny - Enterprise-Record)

Local contractors who lost their tools in the Camp Fire line up for free tools on Friday in Chico. (Laura Urseny - Enterprise-Record)

CHICO — For Wade Willey, the story of his loss to the Camp Fire was repeated all over Paradise. Years worth of tools stored in the garage were destroyed, leaving the licensed contractor unable to work.

Figuring out how to complete his current jobs, Willey heard about the Valley Contractors Exchange tool giveaway, and he was among those lining up early on Friday morning.

Focused on remodeling for the last 10 years, Willey needed just about everything.

“I have jobs to complete. I can’t go anywhere. I’ve got to finish them,” said Willey, who found a place to stay in Durham with his wife.

Hundreds of times over, Willey’s story was repeated Friday in an empty warehouse filled with more than $500,000 of tools and equipment, donated by a variety of tool manufacturers, suppliers and distributors.

Tool cart after tool cart was wheeled out the door by contractors helped by VCE board members.

Originally planned for two days, the event ran one day because of the stunning turnout.

“Originally, we had planned for two days,” said VCE’s Elizabeth Carter, “but the response (Friday) was overwhelming and we gave away everything except for a few small items which we are going to arrange to be donated to another organization that is trying to get tools to contractors,” she wrote to this publication.

Carter estimated that more than 400 contractors, who had to prove they both were burned out and licensed, came by.

The huge warehouse, which is becoming home to California Service Tools on Entler Avenue, was filled with pallets of everything from wrenches and tape measures to safety equipment and fasteners. Ladders flew out the door, and donations of used equipment were swarmed over.

Carter admitted that they didn’t expect such a huge turnout for the first day.

Jon Richards, a sales associate with APEX Tool Group, and Craig LaRue with California Service Tools here in Chico, spearheaded the effort.

Officials in the local building industry have said that supplying and keeping building contractors is one of the most critical elements in helping rebuild the ridge. Other groups have been looking into how housing can be assured for the industry, as well as providing more training so that the industry can be bolstered here.

Carter said the goal was to get builders “the basics — what you’d find on a contractor’s truck,” and VCE Executive Director Loretta Weber, loading boxes of tools into stacks, said contractors’ tools are worth tens of thousands of dollars, and to have them gone is a significant blow.

Valley Contractors Exchange President Ben Eckstrom of Proframe said his board was helping out for the day, and knew what a boost the giveaway would be.

“This is a great thing to help Paradise rebuild,” Eckstrom said, but admitted there are some in the industry who aren’t sure what the future will hold.

Ryan Hernbroth of California Service Tools, which is a Bay Area family owned business expanding in Chico, noted this area had a labor shortage before the Camp Fire. Finding skilled craftsmen and builders could present a challenge when reconstruction starts on the ridge. Adding to the difficulty has been a pre-existing materials shortage, along with the Trump administration’s tariffs.

“The timing is not great,” Hernbroth said.

Butte College, with help from the Valley Contractors Exchange and the Alliance for Workforce Development, is beginning to offer training for the debris removal, seeing that it’s a job opportunity.